AI/ML Salary Guide 2025: Ranges, Levers, and How to Negotiate
Real comp data for AI Engineer, ML Engineer, Research Scientist, and AI PM across US, UK, EU, and India — plus the specific skills and signals that move your number.
AI and ML roles are among the highest-compensated in the technology industry. Salaries vary significantly by role, level, company type, and geography. Use the calculator below to get a personalised estimate, then read the full breakdown.
Salary calculator
United States
The US, and especially the San Francisco Bay Area, remains the highest-paying market for AI roles globally. Figures below are total compensation (base + equity + bonus). Frontier AI labs (Anthropic, OpenAI, DeepMind) sit 50–100% above these ranges.
| Role | Junior (0–2yr) | Mid (2–5yr) | Senior (5–8yr) | Staff/Principal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI Engineer | $140–190K | $180–270K | $250–380K | $380–600K+ |
| ML Engineer | $150–210K | $200–300K | $280–420K | $400–650K+ |
| Research Scientist | $160–220K | $210–330K | $300–500K | $450–800K+ |
| Data Scientist | $120–170K | $160–240K | $220–340K | $320–510K+ |
| AI PM | $145–195K | $185–270K | $250–370K | $360–560K+ |
US figures are total comp. At FAANG, equity (RSUs) is often 40–80% of total. At Series A startups, equity is illiquid. Always compare on base salary when evaluating across company stages.
United Kingdom
The UK AI market is centred in London, with a growing secondary market in Cambridge and Edinburgh. Figures are base salary in GBP. Bonuses of 10–20% are typical at larger companies. DeepMind (London) pays US-equivalent packages.
| Role | Junior | Mid | Senior | Staff/Principal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI Engineer | £55–80K | £85–125K | £130–185K | £180–250K |
| ML Engineer | £60–85K | £90–135K | £135–195K | £185–265K |
| Research Scientist | £65–90K | £95–145K | £145–210K | £200–290K |
| Data Scientist | £50–72K | £72–112K | £112–162K | £155–225K |
| AI PM | £60–85K | £85–128K | £128–178K | £172–240K |
India
India's AI market is growing fast. Bangalore dominates, followed by Hyderabad and Pune. Figures in lakhs per annum (CTC). Top-tier companies (Google, Microsoft, Flipkart, top startups) are at the higher end. US remote roles often pay 3–5× these ranges.
| Role | Junior | Mid | Senior | Staff/Principal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI Engineer | ₹14–26L | ₹28–58L | ₹55–100L | ₹90–170L |
| ML Engineer | ₹16–30L | ₹32–62L | ₹60–110L | ₹100–190L |
| Research Scientist | ₹18–32L | ₹34–72L | ₹68–125L | ₹115–220L |
| Data Scientist | ₹11–20L | ₹22–45L | ₹44–82L | ₹72–135L |
| AI PM | ₹16–28L | ₹32–62L | ₹62–108L | ₹95–178L |
Australia
Australia's AI market is maturing rapidly, led by Sydney and Melbourne. Figures are base salary in AUD. Superannuation (11%) is paid on top. Australian companies are increasingly competing with US remote roles for talent.
| Role | Junior | Mid | Senior | Staff/Principal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI Engineer | A$100–135K | A$138–188K | A$188–255K | A$248–340K |
| ML Engineer | A$105–145K | A$149–198K | A$198–272K | A$264–363K |
| Research Scientist | A$110–150K | A$154–209K | A$204–286K | A$275–396K |
| Data Scientist | A$88–121K | A$123–170K | A$170–231K | A$226–314K |
| AI PM | A$99–132K | A$134–182K | A$182–248K | A$242–330K |
Canada
Toronto and Vancouver are the primary Canadian AI markets. Figures are base in CAD. Many Canadian AI engineers take US remote roles (paid in USD), which typically pay 40–60% more than local rates at the same level.
| Role | Junior | Mid | Senior | Staff/Principal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI Engineer | C$95–128K | C$130–175K | C$174–240K | C$235–328K |
| ML Engineer | C$100–135K | C$137–186K | C$183–254K | C$246–349K |
| Research Scientist | C$105–142K | C$145–196K | C$192–272K | C$263–385K |
| Data Scientist | C$82–116K | C$118–162K | C$162–218K | C$214–302K |
| AI PM | C$93–127K | C$126–173K | C$173–236K | C$231–318K |
Singapore
Singapore is the primary APAC AI hub for MNCs. Strong demand, competitive packages, and lower personal income tax than most markets. Many APAC AI leads are based here. Figures in SGD base.
| Role | Junior | Mid | Senior | Staff/Principal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI Engineer | S$66–94K | S$97–140K | S$143–207K | S$204–292K |
| ML Engineer | S$72–99K | S$103–149K | S$152–218K | S$215–308K |
| Research Scientist | S$75–105K | S$108–160K | S$160–231K | S$226–330K |
| Data Scientist | S$60–86K | S$88–130K | S$130–187K | S$182–264K |
| AI PM | S$68–97K | S$99–143K | S$143–207K | S$198–286K |
What moves the needle most
- Production experience over side projects — shipping a RAG system or agent to real users signals more than 5 portfolio demos
- Evaluation expertise — very few engineers have built proper eval pipelines; this differentiates mid from senior in most interviews
- Framework depth — LangGraph, RAGAS, vLLM — depth in one thing beats shallow breadth across five
- Open-source contributions or technical writing — adds 10–20% at senior+ levels
- Negotiation — most first offers have 10–25% room; not negotiating is the most common expensive mistake
The most consistent salary lever in AI right now: evaluation experience. The ability to design, run, and interpret offline evals is explicitly mentioned in 60%+ of senior AI engineer job descriptions — and very few candidates can demonstrate it credibly.
Negotiation — the most expensive thing most people don't do
Most first offers in AI have 10–25% upward room — especially at the senior level. Negotiation is expected in tech. Not negotiating is the most statistically significant salary mistake engineers make. Simple approach: get the offer in writing, thank them warmly, then say 'I'm very interested in the role — is there flexibility on [base/equity]?' That one sentence has added $30–60K/year for thousands of engineers who said it. Silence costs you nothing. Asking costs you nothing.
Benchmark your profile →: Practice the technical questions that determine which level you interview at — and land at.
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